1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a coronary tracking display. More specifically, this invention relates to a coronary tracking display which improves visibility of details of coronary artery lesions in cineangiography.
2. Description of Related Art
Cineangiography for coronary arterial segments is typically done by means of an x-ray image. An artery is filled with a contrast material (for example, a large molecule with iodine in it, such as megluamine diatrozoate (sold under the name Renografin 76) or iohexal (sold under the name Omnipaque), and its arterial segments are examined. Medical personnel may examine the shape of the inner wall of the artery and look for space where the contrast material would be expected to fill, but does not. These spaces are called "filling defects" and commonly indicate lesions for which a specific treatment may be desireable.
It is advantageous to collect and display images of coronary arterial segments for later review by medical personnel. For example, review of such images may prove useful in detecting and locating lesions, and thus may assist in treatment of a patient by interventional methods. However, one problem which has arisen in the art is that image quality under conditions imposed by cineangiography may be poor, making it difficult for medical personnel to readily recognize critical features.
It may also be advantageous to insert a catheter into an artery, approach an arterial segment containing a lesion, and perform an interventional therapy on that lesion. For example, a lesion may be dilated with a balloon or ablated with a laser. Because these treatments may have adverse effects, it is desireable to identify which lesions truly require treatment.
Another problem which has arisen in the art is that it may be difficult to move such a catheter within the patient's arterial network. It would be advantageous to superimpose an image of the catheter on the patient's arterial network while moving the catheter. However, the contrast material may have adverse effects on the patient, so it is generally not preferred to collect and display cineangiographic images while moving a catheter.